Chapter Summaries

Chen Chuan and the others followed the First People through the caves to Gem Lake, where Fierce Wind Elder used the Obsidian Spearhead to open the way forward. As the First People plunged into the lake, Gluttony sensed the change and decided that he and Iron Crow should set out.

• Gao Ming identified the charcoal figure as the Primitive Sect’s mark, and One-Eyed Elder explained that a traitorous Sacred Land Warrior had once led the sect into the sacred caves.
• The team followed the map through the twisting passages, clearing sealed routes as they descended into a vast underground chamber.
• Fierce Wind Elder recognized the colorful hot spring lake as Gem Lake, where he had once reached the limit of the route with the old priest.
• Fierce Wind Elder threw the assembled Obsidian Spearhead into the lake, causing its colors to merge and the mist to thicken.
• Fierce Wind Elder and the other First People jumped into the lake, while Gluttony sensed a tremor above and told Iron Crow it was time to set out.

Chen Chuan and the team entered the hidden Golden Wheat Field, where the First People found ancient crops and Honey Dew that could foster mutated tissue. After the map revealed a route and the group recovered sail vehicles, they set off toward the Ancestor Altar.

• Gui Zihan entered the lake first, and Chen Chuan led the team through the barrier into a vast space filled with the Golden Wheat Field.
• The First People recognized the legendary field, while the team's technician and Esoteric Ritual experts examined its crops and cultivation methods.
• The Fierce Wind Elder offered Chen Chuan Honey Dew from the Fluorite Statues, and several team members drank it and experienced its effects.
• The Fierce Wind Elder explained that the Honey Dew had once nurtured Sacred Land Warriors and said the group could seek the Ancestor Altar to gain control of the entrances to the Throat of Spirituality.
• Chen Chuan's map changed to show the avenue, prompting the First People to find and retrieve twenty-one sail vehicles hidden beside the road.
• The Fierce Wind Elder filled the vehicles' sails with a gust, and the group sped down the avenue toward the far end.

Iron Crow, Sechia, and Glutton followed Chen Chuan’s trail to Gem Lake, while Chen Chuan’s group reached the Isutal sacred garden. After the One-Eyed Elder secured the ancestors’ permission, Chen Chuan entered the divine guards’ sealed offering chamber alone.

• Iron Crow and Sechia reached Gem Lake with Glutton, who prepared a ritual to guide them onward.
• Force Wind drove the Land Boat to the end of the road, where Chen Chuan’s group found the Isutal sacred garden and its towering platforms.
• The One-Eyed Elder used the map and Obsidian Spearhead to lead the group into the garden and up to the palace.
• The One-Eyed Elder offered the Isutal people’s wealth to Great Shun in exchange for support, and Chen Chuan promised supplies of equal value.
• The One-Eyed Elder chanted to open the sealed entrance to the divine guards’ area and gave Chen Chuan the Obsidian Spearhead.
• Chen Chuan floated up through the opening and entered alone.

Chen Chuan followed the Obsidian Spear through Star Spirit's Throat and found a living mutated plant containing medicine and other supplies. He discovered that the supplies were likely stored above the chamber and reached the well opening to search for them.

• Chen Chuan followed the trembling Obsidian Spear across the upper passage and found three floating bridges leading to different paths.
• Chen Chuan chose the central bridge toward the purple plant, which he identified as the path for the Aspect of Man.
• Chen Chuan opened the plant's membrane and found a hollow cultivation cavity surrounded by tendrils and supply sacs.
• Chen Chuan sampled brown medicinal liquid from a sac and found other materials, but the supplies were scarce and old.
• Chen Chuan spotted well openings above the chamber and flew up to the edge of one, suspecting the stored supplies were nearby.

Chen Chuan found a large cache of ancient medicines in the Sacred Platform and returned to help Great Shun’s people organize their discoveries. As Glutton, Saatchi, and Iron Crow prepared to enter Star Spirit's Throat, Chen Chuan emerged from the mist in his External Implant Body.

• Chen Chuan discovered sealed sacs of medicines, including Jade Bone Paste, and found that the supplies for mental cultivation had been partly taken.
• Chen Chuan left the Sacred Platform and told Gale Wind Elder he had found useful supplies; Gale Wind Elder planned to locate the ritual hub and reopen the ancient paths between the tribes.
• Chen Chuan returned to the lower platform, assigned tasks to Gao Ming, Yuan Qiuyuan, Wei Changan, and Gui Zihan, then donned his External Implant Body and headed out alone.
• Glutton completed a ritual at Gem Lake and offered to let Saatchi enter first, while Saatchi and Iron Crow remained wary of him.
• A figure in a Great Shun-style External Implant Body emerged from the mist with a long blade, causing Glutton, Saatchi, and Iron Crow to retreat.

Chen Chuan fought Glutton, Iron Crow, and Saatchi, overpowering Saatchi and badly wounding Iron Crow while Glutton stayed back. The chapter ended with Glutton’s Spiritual Impact engulfing Chen Chuan in dust, but Chen Chuan emerged unharmed.

• Iron Crow and Saatchi drew their weapons and joined Glutton in cautiously encircling Chen Chuan.
• Saatchi transformed into a giant monster and struck at Chen Chuan, but his flaming palm pinned her in place.
• Iron Crow attacked from invisibility as Chen Chuan blocked the descending Aspect of Man and cleaved through its spiritual form.
• Chen Chuan used a force field to stop Iron Crow, then slashed him; Iron Crow sacrificed his External Implant Body to survive, but suffered a severe wound.
• Glutton struck Chen Chuan with a Spiritual Impact as he moved to pursue Iron Crow, but Chen Chuan emerged from the dust unharmed.

Chen Chuan defeated Iron Crow and Saatchi after they coordinated their attacks and briefly appeared to weaken his Spiritual Fire. As their bodies fell, Glutton's ritual suddenly illuminated Chen Chuan and his spiritual manifestation, and he announced that he had succeeded.

• Glutton repeatedly used Spiritual Impacts while Saatchi hardened her body and spread her corrosive phosphorescent flame across Chen Chuan's spiritual manifestation.
• Iron Crow activated his secret technique, charged Chen Chuan, and coordinated his attack with Saatchi as she signaled that she was ready to counterattack.
• Chen Chuan revealed Purity Spirit Light, repelled Saatchi's flame, struck her with the spiritual manifestation, and cut through Iron Crow's swords and neck.
• The spiritual manifestation crushed Saatchi, while Purity Spirit Light dissolved Iron Crow's Mutated Tissue and killed him.
• Glutton's ritual pattern shone on Chen Chuan and his spiritual manifestation, and Glutton declared that he had succeeded.

Chen Chuan broke free of Glutton’s ritual and defeated him in the cavern, destroying a strange independent presence that escaped from his remains. He recovered several weapons and a Lost Object, then left the Star Spirit’s Throat intending to prepare for further enemies.

• Glutton used a ritual and a Tier 3 Lost Object to bind Chen Chuan, but Chen Chuan tore through the light with his radiance.
• Chen Chuan crushed Glutton’s Spiritual Impact, and Glutton transformed into a black, devouring form and attacked with the Hammer Club.
• Chen Chuan struck Glutton with the Snow Monarch Blade, shattered his body, and cut down the mist that fled from his skull.
• Chen Chuan examined the ritual and recovered a lead-gray Lost Object that could amplify ritual power and stabilize anomalous forces.
• Chen Chuan collected the Hammer Club and Iron Crow’s short swords, then left to prepare for the possibility of more enemies.

Jonas Calloway used Gaz’s intelligence about the Primitive Sect to explain the failed operation to headquarters, which ordered him to keep monitoring the Star Spirit's Throat. Meanwhile, Chen Chuan continued cultivating there and left his tent when the delegation’s telegram exchange window began.

• Calloway worried that Iron Crow and Saatchi had vanished and that the loss of three Mystic Hall Fighters would disrupt the planned attack on Kavatua.
• Calloway rejected his assistant’s suggestion to pursue Chen Chuan diplomatically, citing Chen Chuan’s immunity and the lack of evidence.
• Gaz reported that the Primitive Sect might have been involved, and Calloway used the information to send headquarters an explanation blaming outside interference.
• Headquarters replied within minutes, instructing Calloway to monitor the Star Spirit's Throat and act if anything changed.
• Chen Chuan cultivated in his tent using his External Implant Body and medicines from the Star Spirit's Throat, then went to the lake’s exit for the delegation’s telegram exchange window.

Chen Chuan helped Gale Wind Elder begin preparations to perform the ritual that could secure Star Spirit's Throat, while he studied First People records and monitored threats. The chapter ended with an urgent telegram from the Visiting Delegation ordering him to evacuate immediately.

• Chen Chuan received a telegram confirming that the Visiting Delegation had verified his information and would try to manage the fallout from his killing three Mystic Hall Fighters.
• Awan told Chen Chuan that Gale Wind Elder had found the mechanism entrance, and Chen Chuan went with him to inspect the rift near the Central Platform.
• Gale Wind Elder explained that the ritual required more priests and offerings, so Chen Chuan agreed to lend the needed supplies while the First People began rehearsing.
• Chen Chuan inspected the camp, then returned to his tent to study First People cultivation books and records.
• A serviceman delivered an urgent telegram from the Visiting Delegation telling Chen Chuan to leave and evacuate immediately.

Chen Chuan refused to withdraw from Star Spirit's Throat, prepared his team for the coming danger, and met a powerful enemy who had come for him. The chapter left them facing off on the mountaintop.

• Chen Chuan rejected the warning to evacuate and sent a telegram saying he would personally bear the consequences of staying; Head Xie Xinmin acknowledged his decision and shared responsibility.
• Chen Chuan told the Visiting Delegation about the danger and offered the Technical Expert Group, Esoteric Ritual Group, and security personnel a chance to leave, but everyone chose to stay.
• Chen Chuan ordered the team to alert Gale Wind Elder and prepare esoteric rituals while Tao Huiya activated a backup plan to protect Chen Chuan and prepared to meet someone.
• The Esoteric Ritual Group strengthened the rituals at Star Spirit's Throat, and Gale Wind Elder's people contributed their blood to the activated grand ritual.
• A streak of light fell into the mountains, and a towering man approached Chen Chuan, who sensed the threat and unleashed his Platinum Golden Flame.

Chen Chuan fought a powerful man whose strength and Spiritual Fire continuously adapted to their battle. After unleashing the Mutated Tissue’s power and the Great Azure Void Style, Chen Chuan blasted the man apart, but another figure appeared and stood opposite him.

• Chen Chuan met the expressionless man at Star Spirit's Throat, and their opening punch sent Chen Chuan retreating while the man healed his cracked body.
• Chen Chuan used the Heaven and Earth Furnace Breathing Method and exchanged more than a hundred blows with the man as the opponent adapted and grew stronger.
• Chen Chuan awakened the Mutated Tissue within him, boosted his strength, and drove the man into the ground with a series of attacks.
• The man caught Chen Chuan's descending fist and began to rise, but Chen Chuan used the Great Azure Void Style to batter him down and unleash a devastating final strike.
• The man vanished, leaving behind a shattered hand, and another man arrived in a streak of light and faced Chen Chuan.

Chen Chuan repelled an attack by a portion of a Profound Cave Observation Fighter, then considered the battle’s risks and what it revealed about his abilities. He returned to the camp, lifted the alert, and waited for the Gale Wind Elder while keeping the Snow Monarch Blade’s secrets in mind.

• Fan Zhentong arrived and destroyed the Blood-colored Hunter Cavalry Group leader with a blast of light before asking Chen Chuan why he had stayed to face danger.
• Chen Chuan confirmed that the enemy had been defeated, and Fan Zhentong warned him that a full Profound Cave Observation Fighter could have killed him.
• Fan Zhentong departed by dissolving into blood and dust, while Chen Chuan reflected on the enemy’s mental oppression and the limits of his spirit form and Purity Spirit Light.
• Chen Chuan retrieved the Snow Monarch Blade and Lost Object, returned to the team, and announced that the invading enemy had been repelled and the alert was lifted.
• Chen Chuan returned to his tent, concluded that he had avoided using the Snow Monarch Blade to keep its nature from being exposed, and settled down to wait and cultivate.

At a diplomatic reception in Lunovila Central City, Federation officials and Great Shun representatives discussed strategic competition and the fallout from a deadly West Coast incident. The dispute remained unresolved as Fan Zhentong urged Great Shun’s delegation to stand firm.

• Xiang Boqing, Sivert Drakholm, and Igor Karnelov met at Aurelian Palace, where Igor challenged Xiang Boqing’s use of Fourier’s Cipher Book and a portion of Xiang Boqing’s differentiated flesh and blood vanished.
• Tu Haisheng told Olin that Great Shun had acted in self-defense on the West Coast and offered compensation, while asking the Federation to respect its delegation and settle the matter without harming cooperation.
• Two Great Shun military officers discussed the West Coast incident and the deaths of three Longevity Observation Fighters before an etiquette assistant cautioned them to stop speaking recklessly.
• Fan Zhentong arrived outside the negotiation and told the assistant to tell Tu Haisheng that Great Shun would see the dispute through to the end.

Olin and Cassian agreed to stop pressuring the Da Shun Delegation after the West Bank Party’s failed attempt, while Jiang Hongzhi arranged more cultivation resources for Chen Chuan. As news of Chen Chuan’s victory spread, a bloodied puppet finished slaughtering the Gray Rat Gang in Suwalun Town and faced a top-hatted man.

• Olin and Cassian concluded that the West Bank Party’s failed operation should not obstruct negotiations, and decided to offer the Da Shun Delegation goodwill over Star Spirit's Throat.
• Tu Haisheng reported to Jiang Hongzhi that Chen Chuan had resolved the conflict at Star Spirit's Throat alone, and Fan Zhentong said such strength was theoretically possible.
• Jiang Hongzhi ordered another batch of cultivation resources for Chen Chuan, citing his defeat of several Longevity Observation Fighters and his defense of Kavatua.
• Reports of the clash spread through the Federation capital, and foreign intelligence personnel mostly credited Chen Chuan’s success to Fan Zhentong’s help.
• In Suwalun Town, a puppet killed more than a hundred members of the Gray Rat Gang and walked out to meet an armed group led by a fat man in a top hat.

Blood Staff returned to the children with the money and Nutrient Paste he had earned, but the town’s Magistrate arrived to force him out and threaten the children. When a newcomer crushed a Steel Ball and Blood Staff asked whether he had Nutrient Paste, the confrontation remained unresolved.

• Blood Staff collected half cash and half High-Energy Nutrient Paste from the obese man and drove away in a gang member’s car.
• Blood Staff returned to the abandoned building, where the children welcomed him and the older youth stored the money and distributed food.
• Blood Staff ate Nutrient Paste and realized he needed higher-quality nutrients from Central City to grow his Mutated Tissue.
• The Magistrate arrived with armed men, demanded that Blood Staff leave, and threatened to take the children when Blood Staff stayed silent.
• A child fired a Steel Ball at the Magistrate, but a newcomer crushed it, and Blood Staff asked whether the newcomer had Nutrient Paste.

Blood Staff defeated the Magistrate’s hired Fighter and the Magistrate, then took their supplies. He left the children with fighting instructions and drove away, knowing that Central City would come after him.

• The puppet defeated the middle-aged Fighter with his Hand Cane and killed him in a single exchange.
• The Magistrate’s gunmen opened fire, but Blood Staff survived and killed the Magistrate when he offered to surrender.
• Blood Staff found medicine and Nutrient Paste in the last car, ate them, and restored his Mutated Tissue after his burst of power.
• Blood Staff announced that he was leaving, and the young man explained that Central City would send people after the Magistrate’s death.
• The children packed supplies for Blood Staff, and he drew fighting stances and instructions on the wall for them.
• Blood Staff accepted the name and drove away as the children said goodbye.

Chen Chuan waited as Gale Wind Elder and the First People completed a ritual that stabilized the Rift and let them enter the Ancestor Corridor. After returning with gifts for Chen Chuan and his companion, Gale Wind Elder heard about Glutton and the ritual at the cave entrance and suspected the old traitor was involved.

• Chen Chuan cultivated at Star Spirit's Throat while considering the scarcity of resources needed to refine his body and mind.
• Awan told Chen Chuan that the ritual had begun, and Chen Chuan hurried to the Rift to watch Gale Wind Elder and two First People perform it.
• The ritual resonated with mental power from the Rift, stabilized the gate, and left Gale Wind Elder and the other two exhausted.
• Gale Wind Elder entered the Rift with the others and returned over two hours later, saying the ancestors had answered their call and that the Isutal people could reclaim Star Spirit's Throat soon.
• Gale Wind Elder gave Chen Chuan a Lost Object woven from grass and promised Kaki Fruit for his animal companion.
• Chen Chuan told Gale Wind Elder about Glutton and the Esoteric Ritual at the cave entrance, and Gale Wind Elder suspected the old traitor was involved.

Chen Chuan completed the mission at Star Spirit's Throat, helped Gale Wind Elder prepare to protect and relocate the Isutal people, and received new instructions and resources from Head Xie. After returning to the hotel, Chen Chuan studied his next destination on the Federation itinerary: Central City, the City of Fighters.

• Gale Wind Elder asked Chen Chuan for help contacting Akhtava and relocating the tribes, and Chen Chuan promised support and left Awan with radio instructions.
• Chen Chuan learned from Head Xie that the Visiting Delegation had gone to Arcana Continent and that resources for him were stored at the Wan Sheng Consortium's Federation branch.
• After hearing that Scarlson might push for international intervention, Chen Chuan sent him a telegram urging him not to act hastily, then ordered his groups to withdraw from Star Spirit's Throat.
• Chen Chuan declined Fierce Wind Elder's offer to use the underground ancient path, and led the group out by the ordinary route with their research samples and Golden Wheat seeds.
• Chen Chuan and his group returned to their hotel, where he noticed one of his seeds was absorbing more mental power and identified Central City as their next destination.

The Da Shun Delegation rested near Central City before continuing its journey, and Luo Kaiyuan unexpectedly met Uncle Cai, a former friend of his brother. Uncle Cai later revealed that he had been tasked with cultivating contact with Luo Kaiyuan to gather information about the delegation, leaving his next encounter uncertain.

• Chen Chuan planned several days of rest before taking the delegation to Central City, where Gui Zihan hoped to test his sword skills.
• Luo Kaiyuan met Uncle Cai at a beverage shop, and Uncle Cai said he had brought Luo Kaiyuan’s brother to the Federation years earlier.
• After Uncle Cai left, Feng Xiaoqi suggested that Luo Kaiyuan visit his brother, but Luo Kaiyuan declined.
• At the Silver Lake Hotel, Uncle Cai reported his brief meeting with Luo Kaiyuan to a contact, who instructed him to try again during his deliveries and learn about the Da Shun Delegation.
• Uncle Cai called his family after the contact left, while the contact disappeared from sight.